Tuslaw Deals With Rumors

Published: May 27, 1999 12:00 AM

A Stark County sheriff's deputy was a fixture at Tuslaw High School Wednesday, a move school officials called a precautionary measure in the wake of the latest round of rumors of school violence.

"The sheriff's department called us about this one," principal Rob Sattler said. "We didn't even have rumors, but apparently there was a rumor (circulating in Stark County) about some sort of 'Blood Bath Day' coinciding with (shock rocker) Marilyn Manson's birthday." Manson is Canton native Brian Warner, whose birthday, however, is Jan. 5.

The extra security at Tuslaw consisted of a police cruiser parked in a visible location at the school and the presence of a police officer.

According to assistant principal Steve Remenaric, the sheriff's department made the offer to each school district in its jurisdiction, an area which includes Tuslaw, Fairless, Canton, Lake, Marlington and Plain. The department had received phone calls from concerned parents about the rumored violence, Remenaric said.

Apparently, the alleged threat started last week with an Internet message. Neither the sheriff's department nor Tuslaw administrators could locate the site.

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No specific threats were made toward Tuslaw, Remenaric said.

Until the department called, Sattler said, no one at the school had even heard the rumor.

"If it was here, it was the best-kept secret of the year in the building," he said.

Although the past two weeks have been relatively quiet, the school had earlier experienced a round of rumors about school violence, Sattler said. Administrators spent many hours tracking down the rumors, he said, but were never able to substantiate the stories.

In one instance, a student allegedly saw "something" on the Internet, he said.

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"There were a lot of rumors and we talked to a number of kids," Sattler said. "The kids went home with the rumors and as soon as school was out parents started calling us. To reassure them, to ease everyone's mind, we called the sheriff's department."

Police officers, volunteer firefighters and administrators swept the building, checking lockers and classrooms, Sattler said, but found nothing out of the ordinary. The move "assured us as well," he said.

The school also has investigated at least two threats from students. Some students were suspended while others were cleared after conferences that included their parents.

Disciplinary action in these instances is meted out on an "individual basis," Sattler said.

"We look into everything," he said. "We try to make rational decisions."